Tag Archives: jousting

New York Renaissance Faire

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I had the pleasure of being transported back to Medieval Times at the New York Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, NY. We entered through a castle like entrance, stopped to take a photo at Village Pillory (beheading!) then came across The Queen’s Landing, overlooking an idyllic scene of a beautiful lake and lovely greenery.

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There was the jousting field with a castle, where we watched the archery competition for a bit.

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After that, we headed more into the little town, visiting various fun shops, watching minstrels sing and play guitar, getting food, then walked across a bridge to a theater, where we got to see the end of the magician’s show and the knife throwing performance by a father and son team. They were hilarious with each other and their skill in throwing knifes was quite impressive. They were able to throw the knives in various different angles, at specific targets on the wall and around any human standing against the wall.

Next up was the jousting match, my favorite! Horses, handsome knights, a Queen and action- What more could you want? The games started off with the knights trying to catch the rings with a pole, then fighting two by two, until one falls off his horse. It was exciting and exhilarating to watch.

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Next, we checked out the Royal Birds of Prey exhibit, then headed into the Forest and discovered more shows and merriment going on.

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We found the Tudor Rose Theater, where  Vixens en Garde were performing– 3 sassy and feisty vixens sword fighting and acting out the major scenes of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet.” It was both hilarious and entertaining.

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After that, we checked out a variety show, where this performer climbed up a ladder to balance on his tall unicycle and juggled knives! Then, we got to see his two beautiful dogs do some fun tricks. The dogs were so adorable!

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We went into a few different shops before we called it a day and I found a cute and delicious smelling moisturizing lotion candle, with the scent of Black Raspberry Vanilla. The way it works is: Light the candle, take the hot wax and use it as a lotion… How great of an idea is that!

It was an enjoyable day filled with wonder, music, food, costumes and shows!

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Medieval Festival


This past weekend I went with several friends to the Medieval Festival at Fort Tyron Park in Manhattan. The Medieval Festival is held every year, free of charge and brings to life the customs and spirit of the Middle Ages. Manhattan’s Fort Tryon Park is transformed into a medieval market town decorated with bright banners and processional flags. Despite the scattered showers, we had a happy and joyful time!

Two of my friends were dressed up in full Medieval garb and while I didn’t have a costume on, I wore a pretty light purple skirt and a deep velvety purple top. I loved seeing the different costumes on everyone, depicting knights, ladies, princesses, fairies, minstrels, as well as jugglers, jesters and much more! Some of the dresses were so lovely to look at: Ornate, beautifully crafted, and richly colored.

There were plenty of vendors selling medieval crafts, jewelry, trinkets, bath and body products, perfumes, swords, shields and much more. I purchased some delightful smelling olive oil soap in a variety of flavors: Black cherry, Butterscotch, Cinnamon, Green tea and more.

I also picked up some kettle corn and decided to have some real food. The steak and huge turkey leg looked enticing but the line was a bit too long, so I settled for potato pancakes with apple sauce. The potato pancakes were delicious and extremely crispy, the way I like it.

My favorite part was the jousting tournament between four knights on horseback. This was quite exciting and a real treat to see. I loved all the pretense that surrounded the event, with the introduction of the royals and the knights, to the first challenge of collecting as many rings as possible, then the matches between the knights. It definitely made my heart pound, cheering for our favorite knight and watching with bated breath as the knights fell from their horses during the final match. They all recovered afterwards. And after the jousting, I met a charming knight of blond hair and blue eyes.

What a lovely day- I definitely enjoyed all the festivities and Fort Tyron Park (pictured below) by the castle-like exterior of the Cloisters, was the perfect place to hold the Medieval Festival!

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